Piper PA-15 N4380H
15 August 2009 · Plainwell, Michigan, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 15 August 2009 at about 18:00 local time, a Piper PA-15 registered N4380H was involved in an accident near Plainwell, Michigan, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 18:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Plainwell, Michigan, United States
- Nearest airport
- Plainwell Municipal Airport (61D)
- Coordinates
- 42.4678, -85.6481
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-15
- Registration
- N4380H
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Plainwell → Plainwell
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN09CA548
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
A loss of control on takeoff for undetermined reasons.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that he began the takeoff roll in the tailwheel-equipped airplane with a left quartering headwind. He stated that during the takeoff roll a wind gust caused the airplane to swerve. He attempted to abort the takeoff and the airplane ground-looped. During the event, the right main landing gear collapsed and the wing tip struck the runway, damaging the wing structure. A weather reporting station located 18 nautical miles south of the accident site recorded the wind 7 minutes before the accident as being from 190 degrees at 11 knots, gusting to 18 knots. Fifty-three minutes after the accident time the same weather station recorded the wind speed as 7 knots gusting to 14 knots and direction as variable between 130 degrees and 200 degrees. Examination of the airplane after the accident revealed a failure of the left steering spring chain link. It could not be determined if the chain link failure occurred prior to or during the accident sequence.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-15 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Aug 2009 | Piper PA-15 | Lakeview, Michigan, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 28 Aug 2010 | Piper PA-15 | Duvall, Washington, United States | Petersen Rodger E | Minor injuries | - |
| 30 Nov 2008 | Piper PA-15 | Pleasanton, Texas, United States | Ralph A. Hoyt | No injuries | - |
| 4 Dec 2006 | Piper PA-15 | Conyers, Georgia, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 29 Feb 2004 | Piper PA-15 | Big Lake, Alaska, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 3 Jul 2017 | Piper PA 15 | Farmville, Virginia, United States | Philip Cianciolo | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Dec 2009 | Unknown aircraft | Detroit, Michigan, United States | Pinnacle Airlines Inc | No injuries | - |
| 27 Aug 2009 | Dekkinga VANS RV-7A | Jenison, Michigan, United States | Jack A. Dekkinga | Minor injuries | - |
| 14 Jun 2009 | Burkhart Grob G103C TWIN III ACRO | Gregory, Michigan, United States | Sandhill Soaring Club | Fatal | 1 |
| 26 Apr 2009 | Let L-23 SUPER BLANIK | Adrian, Michigan, United States | Adrian Soaring Club, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 17 Oct 2009 | Gottelt Herbert R KITFOX IV/ | Crystal Falls, Michigan, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 29 Aug 2009 | Socata TBM 700 | Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States | DML Aviation LLC | No injuries | - |